On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the United States’ decision to impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court, expressing his “deep concern about the expected impact” of these measures.
The spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, told reporters, “Today’s decision represents a severe blow to our common endeavors to achieve international criminal justice, of which the court is a fundamental pillar.” He added, according to Agence France-Presse, that “the Secretary-General renews his firm support for the independence of the court and its officials.”
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom announced their “unity of position” in supporting the International Criminal Court in the face of US sanctions. The ministers said in a joint statement: “We, the signatory states parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, reaffirm our firm and firm support for the independence, impartiality and impartiality of the court.” The statement was issued after the announcement of US sanctions threatening to paralyze the court's activities, and a few hours after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to former South African judge Navi Pillay.
Navi Pillay, the South African woman who was announced today, Friday, as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has served as a judge in several international courts, including the International Criminal Court.
Here are some facts about the International Criminal Court, according to Reuters: The court was established in 2002 to prosecute those involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of launching a hostile act, when member states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. The number of member states is 125. The court's budget for 2025 is about 195 million euros.
The ICC conducts investigations related to various regions such as the Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, African countries, Venezuela, Myanmar and the Philippines. The court says it is examining 34 cases, and court judges have issued at least 68 arrest warrants.
Suspects include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Israel and Russia, which are not members of the court, have repeatedly denied that their forces committed atrocities and argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction or jurisdiction over them.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly attacked Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay, describing the South African human rights activist as a “fanatic” working to “demonize the Jews.” Netanyahu said on the “X” platform: “The Nobel Committee has lost its moral compass. It gave its highest awards to a fanatic who contributed to the “demonization of the Jews.” Last year, Pillay chaired the United Nations independent international commission of inquiry into the occupied Palestinian territories, and confirmed that Israel was committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
In turn, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, in a post on the “X” platform: “If there was an award for lies, hatred, and bloodshed slander, Navi Pillay would not only have been a candidate for it, but would have been the most likely to win it.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the Nobel Committee “rewarded the biggest lie of the twenty-first century.” In Washington, US President Donald Trump said that the Nobel Peace Prize was “insulted” by awarding it to Navi Pillay.
On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court, vowing to paralyze its activity. Washington justifies these sanctions by its desire to “defend American sovereignty and its citizens in the face of the threat posed by the International Criminal Court.” Minister Marco Rubio said: “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the court.”
The International Criminal Court denounced the sanctions, considering them an “attack on the rule of law.” The court said, in a statement, that these sanctions represent “an attack on the rule of law and on the basic pillars of the international legal system.” The European Union considered the US sanctions on the International Criminal Court “extremely regrettable,” stressing that it was “ready to take any necessary measures to enable the court to perform its work.”
